How many of you keep your stakes connected to your traps year round unless they need replacing?
I leave my disposible stakes attached to my traps at all times and only change them out if the stake cable, end or the trap chain becomes worn. In this manner, I can either dye and wax or simply dip the whole set up and I'm done with it until needed.

Not us. We keep our stakes and traps seperate, only because I don't know the type of soil I may be putting that trap into. On farmland, you have varying soils, rocky in some areas, sandy in others, clay in others, so I use different lengths of cable with my stakes appropriately.

now why did'nt i think i that?lol man you carry a bumper jack around with ya trapping?i just leave them in the ground i make sure that they are all the way in with just the top of the loop sticking out and when i move i just poke that part down with the driver,just wouldnt do that in a feild or anything that will get plowed though.

We only take the bumper jack out on the last day of season to remove all the stakes. It's not that heavy, and when you're on the atv, it's not that big of a deal. However, the properties that we trap, it states clearly in the contract that we will not leave any equipment on the property after the season ends. That includes stakes.

I user 3 different size disposable stakes which I make myself. 18", 22', 28". Naturally, the different sizes depend on the soil I'm going to set. I found that by keeping the stakes attached to the traps, my time at the set is roughly2/3 minutes. I don't have to fumble around attaching cables to traps, double staking etc.

That's a thought, but what happens if you're just toodlin' along and you're out of #2's. You've set them all already. You've used an assortment of stakes in various locations in various soils. Then, you come up on this swwweeet spot, but the soil is rockyso you're going to have to use a short stake. Now, in your way of doing it, hopefully you have a #3 with a short stake. But in my way of thinking, I can grab the correct cable stake, pound it in, connect my #3 with a locking caribiner, and call it a day. No fuss, no muss.

Lil Bit, I see your point and have been there done that. The following season I purchased more traps and the year after more traps. I now have enough traps on hand that I do not run out. No matter what.